Archive for the 'Tablet Computers' Category

Yapp is a service that allows the average person to create a professional-looking mobile app for events such as weddings, birthday parties, book club meetings, reunions, fundraisers, retreats, etc. It integrates with many of the features of the mobile device, allowing messaging, maps/directions to the event, photo sharing, etc. Once you create the app for your event, it can be shared with others after they install the YappBox app. Looks like a pretty nifty tool, and it’s free (they make money by offering premium services for a fee).

The linked article gives a breakdown on tech gear that may seem like a good deal but which should probably be avoided. In many cases it’s possible to get a much better item for just a little more money.

The first linked article is a review and overview of Windows 8, which will be released on October 26th and represents a foundational change to Windows. The article is a good introduction for those who don’t know much about the new operating system, although we’ve discussed it previously here at Chad’s News.

The second article is about the new Microsoft Surface computer, which will run Windows RT (a flavor of Windows 8) and also has a release date of October 26th. You can pre-order it now. The Surface is interesting in that it’s a hybrid tablet and computer. It can be used just as a tablet but also comes with an optional, and expensive, cover that serves as a keyboard and turns it into a laptop of sorts.

In a follow-up to this recent Chad’s News post, Adobe has pulled its Flash Player from the Android store. Thanks to Steve Jobs, it appears that HTML5 will be the delivery system of choice for multimedia content. Adobe still has plans for Flash, and it’s fully supported on PCs, but this is pretty much the end of it for mobile devices.

When I first heard about Windows RT, I got it confused with the old IBM RT PC, but they are not related. Instead, RT is a version of Windows 8 that will run on mobile devices that have ARMCPUs (instead of the familiar Intel/AMD CPUs that we see on desktops and laptops). One downside is that existing Windows applications, those developed prior to Windows 8, will not run on Windows RT without some conversion work. But Microsoft plans to release an ARM-compatible version of Office to help lead the way. Windows RT is an effort by Microsoft to get Windows into the mobile device market. The benefit to users will be Windows’ huge pool of applications. We’ll see how well it works out.

I’ve been hearing some good things about the Google Nexus 7 tablet computer. At $200 for the 8GB model, its price is comparable to the Amazon Kindle Fire, but the features and specifications are much better. The 16GB model, at $250, is so popular that it quickly sold out, but only for a week or so. Here at the Chad’s News Network Command Center, however, I still prefer my Kindle because of its tight integration with Amazon.

Phone companies tend to throw the term “4G” around pretty loosely. What does it mean? And how is 4G LTE different from regular 4G (or is it the same)? The linked article answers these questions and more.

Back in April, Google updated its Cloud Print service, which allows you to print documents over the Internet from mobile devices. Now you can choose to print a document to FedEx Office locations—after choosing FedEx Office as the print destination, you simply go to any FedEx Office store, enter a code, and the document is printed right then and there. The second new feature is that you can print to compatible Android devices running the Chrome browser (the “printout” will be a PDF document that you view with Chrome).

The author of the linked article argues that most tablet manufacturers are making a mistake by trying to cram as many high-tech hardware features as possible into their tablet computers. He contends that, aside from a small number of gadget-loving technophiles, users don’t care about those features. He then goes on to say that Apple and Amazon have the right idea, which is to create a solid base of services that integrate with the tablet, and that this infrastructure is what’s making their tablets successful. His argument makes sense to me, and if he’s right, I think we can see a shakeout in the industry within two or three years.

Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we were the surprised recipient of an Amazon Kindle Fire—Amazon’s entry into the tablet market. After using it for a few weeks and reading some of the reviews, here are some comments:

The Kindle Fire is NOT an iPad. You won’t see all the features that you get in an iPad. But at something like 40 percent of the cost, this is to be expected.

The Kindle Fire is tightly integrated with the Amazon store. It doesn’t support the EPUB format, so forget about getting books through any venue other than Amazon. And even though it’s an Android device, you can’t purchase apps from the Android Market; instead, you have to use the Amazon App Store which contains a subset of the apps found elsewhere. (This is because the Kindle Fire, while based on Android, is not a fully-compatible Android device. So some apps won’t work on it.)

Storage space is limited, and you can’t attach an SD card to increase it. So storing videos or large music libraries on the device isn’t really an option. Most videos will need to be streamed.

All this being said, the Kindle Fire is a great device if you want an e-book reader with internet, multimedia, and apps. I’ve been having a ball with the Scrabble app. And while one reviewer thinks it will take over the entire low-end and middle of the tablet market, I think it may see some competition from the Nook Tablet.

One thing I really like is that the Denver Public Library has Kindle books that I can check out and read on my device. Way cool!

NORAD is well known for its Christmas Eve tracking of Santa’s progress across the world, but this year is the first time you can use a smartphone/tablet app to track him. It’s named “NORAD Tracks Santa” and is available for the iPhone/iPad and Android devices.

Apple announced the iPad 2 on Wednesday, and Engadget has full coverage. Major changes include a reduction in thickness and weight, a dual-core CPU, and the addition of two cameras and a gyroscope. It will begin shipping on March 11th.

As part of the release, the price for the existing iPad is being cut by $100. If you were unlucky enough to purchase an iPad during the two weeks prior to the March 2nd announcement, you’re eligible for a $100 refund. But be quick, you only have 14 days to apply for it!